Alaska Youth Soccer Association – Recreational Soccer

Recreational Players Improve your Footskills Being a Good Teammate Good Nutrition	Recreational Coaches Age Group Coaching Objectives                Youth Coaching Education Understanding your Age Group
Recreational Parents Sideline Behavior                           Being a Parent/Coach Balancing multi sports	Recreational Team Managers Preseason Team Meeting                    Team Communication Managing the Challenges

Hello Recreational Soccer Players, Parents, Coaches, Team Managers, Administrators and Referees. 

First a big welcome to the Recreational Web page and thank you for your continued involvement in youth sports and soccer.  You are/will be entering a wonderful world of youth athletics which will be filled with satisfactions and challenges which is normal in both youth and adult sport.  Our biggest challenge with youth sport is to keep everything in perspective and always be bigger than the game when making decisions for the development of the youth soccer players whether they are on our team or another.    As we move forward we do so together as we strive to provide a positive and developmental environment for the players in our care.  When we look at recreational soccer in the short term is about fun, friends and sportsmanship.  In the long term recreational soccer is the first experience for players who will remain recreational soccer players but also those who wish to take their game to the next level.  Player development at the recreational level has far reaching effects on long term player development at all levels.  To provide a good base for all players focus on fundamental skills and decision making is highly encouraged, particularly at the young, U6, U8 and U10 age groups.  Alaska Youth Soccer in conjunction with United States Youth Soccer and the soccer community within the state has established age group coaching objectives to provide new and veteran coaches an overall player development road map.  These objectives are available below in Coaching.  We very much encourage all coaches to get involved in the coaching education courses, Youth Coaching Modules and the E/D Coaching Course that are in your area, please contact your club to participate.  Your contribution to youth will always be recognized and appreciated by Alaska Youth Soccer Association, please feel free to contact us, Dave Dias, Recreational Director and Frank Trovato, State Director of Coaching with any questions, we are here to be a resource and provide direction for players, coaches and clubs.   See you on the fields!

Recreational Coaches

Go to Coaching Education for age group practice plans for your team.  Go to links for hundreds of websites for additional ideas for practices, soccer information and soccer news.

ALASKA YOUTH SOCCER    -   AGE GROUP COACHING OBJECTIVES

First a Big Thanks to those who completed surveys and contributed in the pursuit of establishing general age group training objectives for AYSA Recreational and Competitive Youth Soccer Clubs in Alaska.  The survey and resulting age group objectives reflect a general approach to player development.  Results were drawn from all demographics of youth soccer, players, coaches, managers, administrators, coaching directors, referees, and board members at both recreational and competitive levels.   With additional input of AYSA Coaching Staff, United States Youth Soccer, and United States Soccer Federation through the coaching education programs and their perspectives on player development, we are pleased to present the first draft of age group training objectives for Alaska Youth Soccer. 

This general vision of player development is ultimately for girls and boys at both youth soccer levels recreational and competitive.  Initially and most importantly these objectives are meant to provide a basis for player development for recreational and competitive soccer clubs and coaches, with and without club directors of coaching and/or with or without written player development plans.  It must be said early on that these objectives are general by design and there are players and teams who are behind and ahead of this developmental scale.  It is appropriate for individual coaches to adjust the objectives to meet individual team needs.  To allow this to take place, the coaches need to know what their age group objectives are and how they fit into the big picture of player development.  It is my request that all clubs, recreational and competitive who do not have a current and written player development blueprint to please include this information at preseason coaches and team parent meetings and with any handout material, i.e. coaches manuals.  Each recreational and competitive club will also receive a state approved in-house coaching education power point presentation to be used by the clubs who would like to do preseason coaching education for their coaches.  Preseason coaching education is strongly recommended by the AYSA coaching staff and DOC either through in-house coach training or AYSA Coaching Modules and Licensing.  In addition, these objectives will be the basis of the upcoming recreational club manual to be completed in 2006.

The view of the Recreational Director and State Director of Coaching is all soccer development, particularly coach and player development is connected.  Both player and coaching development is forever connected though our players and coaches who always move up to older age groups and for some competitive levels.     Overall development of clubs, teams, coaches, and players is also interconnected and should always be philosophically combined for optimal player enjoyment, ease of transition to older age groups and levels, and gradual increases in growth and state wide development of the overall standard of play.    Appropriately, we tend to view programs by budgets and that has the potential to divide youth soccer development philosophically.  This can have negative ramifications as time passes and should be identified and kept in perspective as we move forward.  This general approach to soccer development is to be another example of how all youth soccer development is connected through its coaches and players and how much stronger that makes us when embrace and support others within the game who have differing levels of goals and aspirations.  I applaud those clubs who already have a development plan in place and can suggest using these objectives as a mirror for thought and comparison.

            Referees and administrators also play in an integral role in player development.  They too are forever connected to players and serve a quite necessary role.  Referees provide the safety element for each and every game played.  Referees also must be educated and refined within the game as well as players and coaches.  A combined understanding lays a great foundation for long term, quality relationships between coaches, referees and players.   Administrators provide the sound communication to members and an organizational approach to effective running of a club, league, or association.  Only with the organizational element in place can the foundation for player, coach and referee, learning and development be established.

Ultimately we are all hand in hand and together, striving for common goals as we serve the most important part of player development, the players.  We can and are making a difference in the development of youth soccer players and the overall standard of play in our state.  It is my hope that these objectives serve as a foundation and work in progress for years to come.

General Ideas with regard to player development:

Technique development is focused on early in player development and then shifts to tactics at U12 and up.

It takes 3-4 or more practice sessions for players to have enough focus and repetition to internalize the skill or concept.  These sessions should be different but cover the same skill or principle in a progessional manner, simple to complex.                                                            

Drills vs. Games, Games generate creativity, improvisation and motivation.  Drills create routine, boredom and less ownership of the game for the players.

Soccer Report Cards – Player Feedback about where they are in relation to the age group training objectives (needs development, satisfactory, excellent) is essential for players and parents to understand how they are doing.  All players should request and receive a soccer report card as part of their seasonal feedback and development process to help them, coaches and parents identify where players are in relation to the player development process.  The frequency of this feedback is dependent on the level of interest of the players and parents, in general 1, 2 or even 3 times per season.  The idea of the report card is to help players better understand where they are at and which areas need improvement.  In addition, the report card is for motivational and developmental purposes so that players understand that just because they received an excellent in one area on this report card, they have to start fresh the next year to get the same level of feedback on the soccer report card.  It helps players stay focused on what they do well and what they should work on if they desire to be a better player and keep up with the development process.   The report card should always reflect a positive, developmental point of view and should never be used as a means to criticize. Each coach should develop their own soccer report card for players using the age group coaching objectives as a starting point.

Definitions:

Components of the player development

Techniques – How to and how fast can it be performed

Tactics - When and Where and Why

Physical – Speed, Mobility, Strength, Endurance

Mental – Psychological Focus, attitude, motivation, dealing with adversity and success, balance between individual and team development

Thinking X1 X2, X3, X4 – Individual player, levels of Creative/Deceptive Thinking with the ball        

X1 - No deception, using speed only, running with the ball around      defenders

              X2 – Single ball or body fakes or single turns

              X3 - Double fakes or double turns or combination of the two

              X4 - Triple fakes or triple turns or combination of the three

Internalization of a soccer skill or concept – a skill that a player has spent enough time with has had enough repetitions in varying ways, she or he does it without conscious thought at speed

Ball in the Air Training – Receiving and playing the ball that is delivered in the air, includes volleying/shooting on goal

Functional Training – Training by position

ALASKA YOUTH SOCCER AGE GROUP COACHING OBJECTIVES

 

State Level Coaching Courses for Recreational Youth Soccer

United States Youth Soccer Youth Module Coaching Courses

United States Soccer Federation E/D Level Coaching Courses

Youth Modules are held at the individual recreational clubs/associations.  The clubs host the events and schedule the events through the Recreational Director.  Please contact your club and check the AYSA calendar for coming Youth Module dates at your club or in your area.

U6/U8 Youth Coaching Module- the U6/U8 Youth Coaching Module is a 4hr course highlighting the methodology and psychology for coaching players in the U6 and U8 age groups. Also included is safety and team management. No testing. In classroom lecture and discussion and on field activities appropriate for U6 and U8 coaches. All coaches receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

 

U6/U8 State Youth Module Curriculum Outline

Course Opening, Philosophy of Coaching and Characteristics of U6/U8 Children (45 min.)

            Field Session with Candidates (45 min.)

            Discussion on P&C, Team/Risk Mgt., Modified Laws (45 min.)

            Field Sessions with U6 Players, Instructors and Candidates (45 min.)

                                    U6 Activities

                                    3 v 3 game on appropriate field

            Field Sessions with U8 Players, Instructors and Candidates (45 min.)

                                    U8 Activities

                                    4 v 4 game on appropriate field

 

U10/U12 Youth Coaching Module- the U10/U12 Youth Coaching Module is a 5hr course highlighting the methodology and psychology for coaching players in the U8 and U10 age groups. Also included is safety and team management. No testing. In classroom lecture and discussion and on field activities appropriate for U10 and U12 coaches. All coaches receive a certificate upon completion of the course.

U10/U12 State Youth Module Curriculum Outline

Course Opening, Philosophy of Coaching and Characteristics of U10/U12 Children (1 hr.)

            Field Session with Candidates (1hr.)

            Discussion on P&C, Team/Risk Mgt., Modified Laws (1 hr.)

            Field Sessions with U10 Players, Instructors and Candidates  (1.5 hrs.)

                        U10 Activities

                                    6 v 6 game on appropriate field

                                    Explanation of Training Session

            Field Sessions with U12 Players, Instructors and Candidates (1.5 hrs.)

                                    U12 Activities

                                    8 v 8 game on appropriate field

                                    Explanation of Training Session

The E/D Coaching Courses are scheduled through the AYSA District Commissioners and are either hosted by individual clubs or the district in general.  Please check the AYSA calendar for coming E/D Coaching Courses in your area.

USSF 'E' Coaching Course - The 'E'' certification course consists of eighteen (18) hours of instruction which includes an exam.  This course normally includes three and one-half (3½) hours of theory (theory of tactics, methods, team management, Laws of the Game, injuries) and thirteen (13) hours of practical (components of soccer-fitness, technique, tactics, principles of defense, goalkeeping, set plays, functional practice, coaching practice and critique).  The emphasis is towards the teaching of player 6 - 12 years of age. 

USSF 'D' Coaching Course - The 'D'' certification course is a continuation of the E course and offers more advance training in all areas.  It consists of thirty-six (36) hours of instruction.  This course normally includes seven (7) hours of theory, 21-25 hours of practical, and a four-hour exam, written and practical.  The emphasis of the 'D' course is geared towards the coaching of players 13 years of age and older.  Coaches can receive either a State D license or a National D license dependent on performance or numbers at the course(if below 10 D candidates, only a State D license will be offered).  Only coaches who receive the National D License will be accepted in the National C license course.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR AGE GROUP

Children are not little adults, by Brian Grasso

This statement’s basic message is, in a word, obvious. We wouldn’t expect our ten year old daughter to find a full time job and we won’t be surprised if making the mortgage payment on time isn’t the first concern our fifteen year old has when he wakes up in the morning. Why then in the sporting world do we expect young athletes to train, compete, think and react like adults? Young athletes are exposed to conditioning programs that are often well beyond their structural and neurological abilities and taught to emulate elite sporting stars in their mental approach to the game. Is this the way to produce world-class athletes, or are there different concepts that we need to learn, understand and implement?

Without question the most mismanaged collection of athletes in North America are young athletes. They are encouraged to emulate professional sporting starts, criticized for efforts that ‘don’t measure up’ and are often guided by well-intentioned yet largely uneducated coaches who don’t understand the concepts involved with developmental athletics. Young athletes ARE NOT little adults; they have very specific and crucial physical laws associated with their development. Children go through such tumultuous changes physically, physiologically and emotionally as they ascend in age that it only makes logical sense that coaches, trainers and youth sporting officials understand these age-related issues and learn how to program for them.

Athletic development refers to the slow progression or development of an athlete over several years of training. Within this long-term approach or scope exists a term on which the foundation of athletic development resides: Multilateral Development. Multilateral development is a simple concept which essentially relates to the need for young athletes to be exposed to as much athletic stimulus as possible as they mature. From a practical standpoint, this means that under no circumstances should young athletes become specialists in any one sport. The whole point of multilateral development is to generate as much athleticism as possible. Physiologically speaking, the central nervous system encased in young athletes should be thought of as a malleable sponge that is able to learn, comprehend and recount at an unbelievable rate. Limiting this ability by specializing at a young age is counterproductive to optimal athletic development. Herein lies the common misnomer with respect to youth sports in North America. It is a fairly universal theory among many coaches and trainers that to become an elite or world-class competitor, one must engage in years of specialized training. While this statement isn’t wrong, the key point is that this specialization cannot begin at too young an age. In fact, between the ages of 6 – 14, athletes should be focused primarily on developing fundamental proficiency in as many athletic skills as possible. Running, jumping, throwing, lateral movement, spatial orientation – the list is long and endless. The fundamental components of ANY sport are based on movement ability and associated physical properties, such as summation of forces and neuromuscular sequencing. Athletes must progressively master the science of movement as children.

Athletic development can be categorized into four distinct stages, according to Tudor Bompa of Toronto’s York University. Although each category appears to be age-determinant, several factors including biological age and emotional maturity are considerations.

Initiation

Ages 6 – 10

• All sport and training should be in ‘game’ format.
• Ensure that each child is participating equally and that no one feels left out.
• Children should focus on having fun.
• Emphasize multilateral development.
• Concentrate on proper technique of any movement and not endless repetitions.

Athletic Formation

Ages 11 – 14

• Growth spurts may interrupt or retard development. Be patient.
• General concepts of training and conditioning can be introduced.
• Concentrate on the ‘core’ of the body before you work out towards the periphery.